Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings

Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings, ranked by debt / annual earnings. Median federal borrower debt divided by median 10-year annual earnings. These are different cohorts; not a repayment timeline. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 1,182 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1Berea CollegeBerea, Kentucky0.08×19%1249$6k$43k58%1,513277 mi 2Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey0.09×5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 3Stanford UniversityStanford, California0.10×4%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi 4Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts0.10×5%1560$20k$143k96%4,5352 mi 5Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland0.12×6%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi 6Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts0.12×14%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi 7Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island0.12×5%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi 8Rice UniversityHouston, Texas0.12×8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 9Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California0.13×10%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi 10Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut0.13×4%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi 11Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbock, Texas0.13×———$92k—1,482457 mi 12Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina0.13×6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 13Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York0.13×9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 14Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts0.14×4%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 15University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, California0.14×11%—$13k$92k93%33,0682 mi 16University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania0.14×5%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi 17Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts0.14×8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 18Brigham Young UniversityProvo, Utah0.15×68%1376$16k$76k81%32,952547 mi 19University of Puerto Rico-AreciboArecibo, Puerto Rico0.15×59%—$11k$31k52%2,6691 mi 20Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia0.15×13%1487$41k$103k95%7,5691 mi 21Pomona CollegeClaremont, California0.15×7%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi 22CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew York, New York0.15×48%1280$3k$76k72%16,1541 mi 23Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee0.15×6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 24University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasSan Juan, Puerto Rico0.15×55%—$9k$36k50%8,5722 mi 25University of Puerto RicoBayamon, Puerto Rico0.16×35%—$8k$34k37%2,8514 mi 26University of California-DavisDavis, California0.16×42%—$15k$81k86%32,25327 mi 27Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts0.16×17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi 28University of Puerto Rico at CayeyCayey, Puerto Rico0.16×53%955$10k$31k50%2,06912 mi 29University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois0.16×4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 30CUNY Queens CollegeQueens, New York0.16×64%1120$4k$63k53%12,5503 mi 31Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois0.17×8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 32University of Puerto Rico-MayaguezMayaguez, Puerto Rico0.17×57%—$18k$49k49%9,5391 mi 33University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, California0.17×9%—$13k$83k93%33,4755 mi 34Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania0.17×12%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi 35Scripps CollegeClaremont, California0.17×38%1492$36k$78k83%1,11334 mi 36CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, New York0.17×54%1280$3k$63k57%16,2891 mi 37Lafayette CollegeEaston, Pennsylvania0.18×31%1424$34k$91k88%2,75748 mi 38University of Puerto Rico at PoncePonce, Puerto Rico0.18×52%—$11k$31k46%2,2782 mi 39Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, California0.18×48%1426$50k$109k88%6,5529 mi 40Colgate UniversityHamilton, New York0.18×14%1508$29k$85k91%3,18061 mi 41Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts0.18×9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 42University of Puerto Rico-CarolinaCarolina, Puerto Rico0.18×55%932$13k$31k37%2,4044 mi 43Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire0.18×5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 44Thomas Edison State UniversityTrenton, New Jersey0.18×———$69k—6,70720 mi 45Brigham Young University-HawaiiLaie, Hawaii0.18×47%1130$17k$52k53%2,8891 mi 46CUNY Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, New York0.18×58%1140$3k$61k54%10,5433 mi 47CUNY City CollegeNew York, New York0.18×60%1260$4k$66k57%12,505< 1 mi 48Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont0.18×11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 49University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, California0.18×27%—$12k$85k86%34,9481 mi 50Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts0.18×16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi 51University of California-IrvineIrvine, California0.19×29%—$14k$81k87%30,1974 mi 52University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, Washington0.19×39%—$14k$78k85%31,9423 mi 53University of Washington-Bothell CampusBothell, Washington0.19×91%—$12k$78k65%5,4579 mi 54University of Washington-Tacoma CampusTacoma, Washington0.19×83%—$10k$78k63%4,1851 mi 55University of Puerto Rico-HumacaoHumacao, Puerto Rico0.19×55%—$13k$30k47%2,5294 mi 56University of California-Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California0.19×33%—$16k$75k83%23,113< 1 mi 57CUNY Lehman CollegeBronx, New York0.19×57%970$3k$58k51%10,6961 mi 58Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania0.19×12%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi 59University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesLittle Rock, Arkansas0.19×———$74k—1,571325 mi 60San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, California0.19×85%—$14k$79k69%27,60112 mi 61University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana0.19×11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 62Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania0.19×81%1243$29k$77k69%3,7551 mi 63CUNY Graduate School and University CenterNew York, New York0.19×68%——$66k—3,2541 mi 64CUNY York CollegeJamaica, New York0.19×64%880$4k$57k32%4,3454 mi 65University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina0.19×15%1439$12k$72k91%20,752115 mi 66University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California0.19×10%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi 67Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts0.20×11%1513$40k$83k94%7,0615 mi 68CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeNew York, New York0.20×57%1080$3k$56k56%11,590< 1 mi 69University of Puerto Rico-AguadillaAguadilla, Puerto Rico0.20×81%909$8k$28k46%1,8831 mi 70SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuse, New York0.20×63%—$19k$56k66%1,83935 mi 71Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesBoston, Massachusetts0.20×85%1269$40k$126k62%3,4513 mi 72University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia0.20×17%1480$22k$87k96%17,59767 mi 73Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri0.20×12%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi 74California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, California0.20×31%—$17k$91k86%21,9969 mi 75Bates CollegeLewiston, Maine0.21×13%1468$29k$69k90%1,76018 mi 76Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia0.21×14%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi 77Bentley UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts0.21×45%1352$38k$121k87%4,4749 mi 78Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania0.21×26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi 79University of FloridaGainesville, Florida0.21×24%1403$7k$72k91%35,62942 mi 80Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York0.21×4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 81Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, Georgia0.21×14%1480$12k$103k94%18,785222 mi 82Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, New York0.21×63%1147$11k$70k53%9,5527 mi 83CUNY New York City College of TechnologyBrooklyn, New York0.21×80%1010$5k$49k21%13,580< 1 mi 84California State University-StanislausTurlock, California0.21×98%—$6k$63k53%8,38546 mi 85California State University-Monterey BaySeaside, California0.22×97%—$14k$59k59%6,8192 mi 86Atlantic UniversityGuaynabo, Puerto Rico0.22×——$6k$25k39%1,4514 mi 87Hamilton CollegeClinton, New York0.22×14%1506$29k$78k91%2,03054 mi 88Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania0.22×7%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi 89California State University-FullertonFullerton, California0.22×91%—$7k$63k70%38,54616 mi 90California State University-Los AngelesLos Angeles, California0.22×91%—$4k$59k53%19,56218 mi 91Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota0.22×20%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi 92California State University-Long BeachLong Beach, California0.22×46%—$10k$64k69%35,9243 mi 93California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona, California0.22×75%—$12k$72k68%25,04227 mi 94Barnard CollegeNew York, New York0.22×9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi 95Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine0.22×7%1520$14k$83k95%1,8733 mi 96George Washington UniversityWashington, District of Columbia0.23×47%1433$37k$91k84%11,1821 mi

US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.